HOLLAND 2007 DEN BOSCHE
Friday morning, 16 tourist plus 3 going direct and arriving late evening, mustered at Heathrow airport for an 11:30 departure to Schipol Airport
All looking good in blue blazers, smart jeans and the tour orange polo shirt!!
Good quick flight and then coach transfer to hotel….unusual heavy traffic but we were soon installed in a rather good hotel, the Movenpick at Den Bosche and then down to the bar to start things off!!
Friday evening in Den Bosche was a fantastic starter to the tour…we found a bar in the square that served good steaks and that was it…quick shot of Geneva to sharpen up the taste buds, lager flowing freely and then a glass of port to round off. By this stage of the evening a few tourists were starting to look shoddy but the town had to be taken!!
A few tourist side stepped into a smoking den and one tourist spent the whole night in his bedroom sitting bolt upright saying “ never again” another tourist was also in a bad way but managed to get back to the hotel
The rest of the tourist, about 16 or so, still standing went from bar to bar having a great time and slowly the night away.
One tourist, all tourist remain nameless to protect the guilty, had a problem with his medial ligament and kept falling over. On one occasion whilst trying to enter a bar and collapsing in from of the bouncers! The old medial injury gave the wrong impression.
The hotel were very helpful with a slight stomach problem one tourist had and fully understood that sometime you just cannot make the bedroom … the hall carpet has since been replaced!
Somehow a fair number made the late great breakfast that was available and the coach arrived to take us to our fixture with Den Bosche Rugby Club….
We arrived and he ground was hard and rather on the large size… cosy clubhouse with good cheap beer soon got everyone into the swing of things…the opposition could be seen going through a training routine…meant nothing to our chaps.
Anyway the game got underway on a very hot afternoon and it was a fantastic game indeed!
We played with great conviction and it can be said that there was no “Man of the Match” award …there were 16 Bulldogs who deserved that award!
Our forwards put in stirling work against a very heavy and mobile pack and Len made many forward drives and spurred the side on….we had no scrum half but Martin stepped in and did a great job and also scoring a try for good measure…. The front row took a pasting but we had Big Bull Pattinson and Malcolm and Rupert !! And they put up a good show with good support form Len and Simon in the engine room with Matt, Peter and Steve C very effective in the back row
The score started to move and first one try was scored by the opposition and then we responded with a good run and a put down by Len for a well earned try and so it went on with Peter then moving onto the ball very quickly for another try and from a scrum down the ball moved around and suddenly found Martin who went of on one of his long penetrating runs to put down another try.
Very close game and with the first half we were only a try or so behind but in the second half the Friday suddenly caught up and legs started to fade although we put in good defence and Canadian Gary took out a fair number on the wing to keep the score down. Brad made his usual drives and took some stopping… Simon tried with the short penalty and almost made it
Jamie and Faren had great games in the centre with fantastic runs and great tackling and Jamie was very unlucky not to get a couple of tries….but he has taken up smoking again!!
But right at the very end of the game with only minutes to go Roger/ Brad worked very well, side stepping and running around the opposition to bang down another try that Roger converted. Final score a very commendable 22 point to 39!!
It was commendable of the player who asked his captain if he could leave then game to throw up….a Bulldog gentleman
The club looked after us very well after the game and with a few good rugby games including a boat race …it was a close run thing and the old favourite of beer in a tray and two players trying to blow a match from one side to the other!!!
It was good to be able to give all out opponents and back up support staff a Bulldog T shirt , kindly sponsored by The White Swan, and to exchange trophy’s at the end of the game
This would be our last night in town and a few tourists looked grim before we started!
However, off we went into town and Saffa Pete an ex RSM in the South African army decided to go back to his youth
Suddenly 16 tourists found themselves in a “platoon” marching in file and three across to a bar…. The locals looked on and we all waited for Saffa to give the order to charge!
Fortunately it was a little like Dad’s Army as Len marched in the wrong direction taking a few with him!!
After this outburst Saffa was knackered and could be found sitting by a bar! He was taken back to quarters!
The rest of the evening was very eventful as Dave “2 glasses “Jones had great trouble in parting with any kitty money….he could be seen appearing whenever a round was bought and darting in and taking two glasses….slowly this crept up on him and you will see in the photos a very relaxed Dave…..for security reasons I cannot say anymore but I think Dave had a few surprises!!!
And so after a great tour that also included a culture tour by boat of the city centre…one tourist was recognised by a lady queuing for the boat who had apparently been carried around the town on Friday due t his medial ligament problems!
Now the return back to the UK and of course no tour would be complete without a Tour Court!!!
Judge Wilby complete with High court wig was in the chair ably assisted by Iron Man Tony as prosecuting Counsel and the defence was very over powered by pre judgment by the jury, judge and anyone else but Lord Lenthall made sound pleads and defence for his client but to no avail.
Team sneak Steve Mather was a very biased witness and tried to avert the course of justice many times….but Simon was convicted of talking to some camp character, Martin got a full sentence for taking money from an adolescent, and Saffa was out on all counts and totally undefenceable
The court was dismissed after sentence had been carried out
Back on the KLM flight and that was touch and go but we got back in one piece for our limos at Heathrow and then down to the White Swan for the last pint and to be carried off home!!
A great bonding tour with everyone mucking in and now let’s see how we survive the summer
FOR ALL THOSE WITH WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS WE HAVE A WEEKLY CLUB NIGHT EVERY THURSDAY AT THE WHITE SWAN AND ALSO THIS SAT THE 5TH A GOLF 9 HOLES AT 3 PM OR CALL IN FOR A PINT SAT EVENING AT THE WHITE SWAN MAY FIND A FEW BULLDOGS THERE!!
All the very best and thanks to the back up team that made my job so easy thanks to Tony, Matt, Peter, Jamie , Clarke
Cheers
Colin
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